Morrissey Talks Trump, Cancer Diagnosis, TSA Groping With Larry King
Morrissey addressed a wide array of topics during a recent chat on Larry King Now, touching on his alleged sexual assault at the San Francisco airport, Republican presidential candidates, depression, cancer and the “brutal” music industry.
In regards to his recent allegations of sexual assault at the hands of a TSA agent, Morrissey reiterated the story he posted online and offered a few more specifics, saying the officer, “put his finger down my rear cleavage.”
Morrissey remained skeptical that the agent would be punished, saying: “They’re above the law. Yes, I filled out a complaint and so forth. It will not happen.” (A TSA spokesperson denied any officer misconduct to Rolling Stone.)
As for politics, the musician, as always, left a path of scorched earth. He bluntly dismissed the entire field of Republican presidential hopefuls, saying “they all look exactly the same.” When King suggested Trump was an outlier, Morrissey replied: “In the dark, he looks like everybody else. It’s the same old suit and tie.”
The singer offered an equally harsh critique of Barack Obama as well, saying that the president has disappointed his constituents on many fronts. He alleged that Obama has lost the support of pockets of the black community due to a perceived tepid response to police militarization and violence.
“So Obama: Is he white inside?” Morrissey asked. “I think it’s a very logical question. But I think he probably is.”
But when it came to Hillary Clinton, Morrissey said he believed America was finally ready for her to be president — though added, “You’ve known her for a long time. So you should know by now. Everybody in this country should know by now.”
The music business also received another shot of Moz’s vitriol, with the veteran singer claiming that major labels are only concerned with marketing.
“It’s not really concerned with people who sing or people who play music,” he said. “Because music appears to be dying and people have found other things to do, I think the major labels want to grab as much as they can as quickly as possible. Therefore, they watch those terrible talent things, those small children, and they sign them and they make quick money.”
Morrissey also discussed his recent cancer scare, though he told King he’s currently in “blooming good” health. Morrissey revealed he had cancer of the esophagus last October (after a difficult year that saw him facing numerous health issues), and recalled hearing the news for the first time.
“You don’t really hear that word, that C-word, you don’t really hear when people say it,” Morrissey said. “It just seems to drift over you. You just say yes, ‘Oh yes, yes, yes.’ Later, when you’re on the stairs by yourself, it triggers in your mind.”
Morrissey spoke to the host about his history of depression, noting he continues to battle the so-called “black dog” regularly. “There is no cure and I think it’s part of being a sensitive, open human,” he said. The singer closed out his appearance on Larry King Now with a performance of “Kiss Me A Lot” off his 2014 LP, World Peace Is None of Your Business.